Since our month-long drought has been wreaking havoc on the edible plants that I usually talk about, I thought I’d swing the focus onto our ornamental plants that have been in full bloom.

I wasn’t referring to cacti when I mentioned heat-loving plants – although we do have a couple of those…

Would you believe I grew these from seeds? It was one of those times when I bought a pack of cactus seeds and got these two plants as a result. The third one doing a photobomb was a purchased one.

…as well as the obligatory aloe vera plant:

Keep an aloe vera plant confined in a pot long enough and it will start multiplying…

But these aren’t the only plants that love dry weather. The bougainvillea plants absolutely thrive in the heat, and I have to say that my dad chose well. (I have to give him credit because I wouldn’t voluntarily bring these plants into our garden because I hate the thorny stems.) We have a nice selection of colours, as you can see:

The standard purple/pink bougainvillea flower.

A lovely pink-white blend. Sometimes the pink is more dominant, and other times the white shows up more.

A pleasant salmon-orange bougainvillea

Also on the salmon-coloured plant is a lighter orange cluster of flowers

So yes, while I appreciate the different colours of our bougainvillea plants, I still don’t enjoy pruning them because I’ve never completed that task without some bloodshed on my part, even wearing protective gear.

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